Commissioners hosting public meeting on redistricting

Published 1:00 pm, Friday, June 10, 2011

Hale County commissioners will hold a special meeting Monday morning to hear public comments on redistricting.

According to Hale County Judge Bill Coleman, redistricting is necessary because, based on new U.S. Census data, the county had a total maximum deviation between the largest and smallest precincts of 11.38 percent. That figure was determined by taking the total population of the county and dividing it by four - the number of precincts in the county - to determine the ideal size of a precinct. The percentage of deviation between the smallest and largest then was determined.

In information provided by the Austin-based law firm Allison, Bass & Associates, L.L.P., the firm with which the county is working to address redistricting, the ideal population for a precinct in Hale County is 8,583.

Current precinct sizes are:

•Precinct 1 - 8,527 (a deviation of -56)

•Precinct 2 - 7,960 (a deviation of -623)

•Precinct 3 - 8,937 (a deviation of 354)

•Precinct 4 - 8,907 (a deviation of 324).

In a commissioners meeting earlier this year, Coleman said that in addition to trying to reach the ideal size - thus achieving the goal of one-man, one-vote - the county also must concern itself with equitable minority representation and make sure that each commissioner has approximately the same amount of roads to maintain.

"The problem is, one thing affects everything else," the judge said. "What we would like to do is achieve compliance with as little change as possible."

Coleman explained that the county is not required to do anything by statute. However, relevant case law has set a 10 percent deviation as the acceptable threshold. Anything greater than that could leave the county vulnerable to challenges on the grounds of inequitable representation. At 11.38 percent, Hale County falls outside of that threshold.

A key concern for Coleman as part of the process of considering redistricting is to get the county into compliance without throwing everything else out of whack.

In addition to the previously-mentioned issues, redistricting cannot change in what precinct current commissioners live, Coleman explained.

The judge has prepared a preliminary plan which will be presented at Monday's meeting. The two precincts that need to gain population are 1 and 2, and the judge explained that the county needs to transition about 600 people.

However, the plan must mesh with whatever the city does to achieve compliance in its redistricting efforts.

Coleman said that even if his preliminary plan requires changing after the city completes its redistricting efforts, a couple of things will have been accomplished.

First, attorneys from both the city and county will have to get together at some point and make everything mesh. With the legal requirement that the county must hold a public meeting to receive input, holding the meeting now will give attorneys as much time as possible to implement positive suggestions made by the public.

Second, Coleman said, the process has been a learning experience for him to the point that now he has enough of an understanding of redistricting to be able provide appropriate input into the process.

The 10 a.m. meeting at the Hale County Courthouse, 500 Broadway, will follow the commissioners' regular business meeting at 9 a.m.

Agenda items include:

•Renewal of a service agreement between Appriss and Hale County for the maintenance contract for the VINE program through Aug. 31, 2012, in the amount of $18,238

•Approve the DocuNav Solutions support agreement for one year in the amount of $1,355

•Review and approve the budget calendar for the 2012 fiscal year

•Award the bid for food products and food service items for the Hale County Sheriff's Office

•Consider an order extending the disaster declaration and prohibiting fireworks